Clustering of Non-communicable Diseases Risk Factors in Healthy Adults Aged 35 Years and Older in Shenzhen,China

We assessed the prevalence of non‐ communicable diseases（NCDs） risk factors with a focus on their clustering among healthy adults in Shenzhen, China. Data from the 2011 China Health and Nutrition Survey, comprising a regionally representative sample of 806 healthy adults aged 35 years or older, were obtained to determine the prevalence of five risk factors for NCDs. The prevalence of current smoking, central obesity, impaired fasting glucose, borderline hypertension, and borderline high total cholesterol was 19.97%, 28.29%, 4.47%, 10.55%, and 36.10%, respectively. A total 63.77% of participants had at least one risk factor. Upon examination of risk factor clustering, we observed that 7.57% of participants had at least three risk factors. Using this threshold as a cutoff, clustering of risk factors was associated with sex [odds ratio（OR） = 3.336, 95% confidence interval（CI）： 1.782 to 6.246], physical activity（OR = 1.913, 95% CI： 1.009 to 3.628）, and BMI（OR = 7.376, 95% CI： 3.812 to 14.270）. The prevalence of risk factors for NCDs is fairly high among healthy adults in Shenzhen, with a clustering tendency.

Self Evaluation in Department of Communicable Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences

Introduction: Self evaluation is a process that defines and collects required data to judge about decision making issues at educational system on whether the educational department is fit to educate students? The objective of this study was determining the quality of the structural elements of the department of Communicable Diseases & determining the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to improve the quality of activities in the department under research. Materials and Methods: The employed method was Mixed methods (qualitative & quantitative research), on the basis of 10 procedural steps and within 8 sections dealing with evaluated factors;such as 1) organizational and management structure 2) scientific board members 3) students 4) Manpower 5) Space of educational research and health care 6) Equipment 7) curriculum 8) satisfaction of graduates, which were studied using 61 criteria and 172 indicators. Five-point Likert Scale was used for the responses in the questionnaire (1 - 1.75 = undesirable, to 4.2 - 5 completely desirable). Finally the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics indices and the assessment software of the Educational Development Center of TUMS. The instruments used in this method included assessment software, interview, observation and self-prepared questionnaire which consisted of 7 questionnaires and 2 check lists. Finding: The results of the research showed that general average of 8 investigating sections was 56.9% as a rather desirable research work. Conclusions: Therefore, it was concluded that function of the educational management in that group was directly in line with evaluation process, but continuing the process of evaluation seems necessary.

Prevalence of Tobacco Use and Associated Factors among Adults in Benin in 2015: Results of the National Survey of Non-Communicable Disease Risk Factors

Introduction: Tobacco use and exposure to tobacco smoke are one of the most preventable causes of death and disability worldwide. The risk is even higher among daily tobacco consumers. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommended that surveillance of major risk factors for non- communicable diseases (NCDs), such as smoking, be imperative to predicting the future burden of NCDs, identifying adequate interventions to decrease future burden and monitor trends. In 2015, a survey on NCD risk factors was conducted in Benin to estimate the prevalence of major NCD risk factors. We analyzed the data from this survey to estimate the prevalence and risk factors associated with daily tobacco consumption in Benin. Methods: A nationwide representative sample of the population was constituted in the 12 departments of Benin. The WHO STEPS wise tool was used to collect data on behavioral and demographic characteristics, including daily tobacco consumption. Tobacco consumption was subdivided into three categories: The daily consumption of tobacco, the daily consumption of smoked tobacco and non-smoked tobacco. Multivariate analysis through the weighted logistic regression was used to identify potential factors associated with daily consumption of tobacco. Results: Over the 5.126 surveyed subjects, 7.49% were daily tobacco consumers, with 3.85% being daily users of smoked tobacco and 4.36% being daily consumers of non-smoked tobacco. Men were more likely to be daily consumers of tobacco compared to women (OR = 7.42;95%CI = [4.98;11.06]). Compared to respondents aged 18 to 24, those aged 45 to 54 were five times more likely to consume tobacco (OR = 5.58;95%IC = [2.71;11.47]). Respondents residing in the departments of Atacora, Couffo and Borgou were respectively 4.28 times, 3.93 times and 2.63 times more likely to consume tobacco compared to those residing in the department of Alibori. Respondents with no education were more likely to consume tobacco daily compared to respondents who had finished high school or were in university (OR = 3.73;95%CI = [1.36;10.23]. Respondents who were overweight were less likely to be daily users of tobacco compared to people with normal weight status (OR = 0.57;95%CI = [0.34;0.96]). Conclusion: There is a relatively high prevalence of smoking in Benin, where one out of 8 people, consumes tobacco products daily. Being elderly, male, having no formal education, residing in Atacora, Borgou or Couffo were significantly associated with daily smoking. Prevention actions should thus target those sub-groups of the population.

Climate Induced Virus Generated Communicable Diseases:Management Issues and Failures

In the present review article human diseases caused by various groups of pathogens have been explained with its etiology,epidemiology and treatment.In addition,effect of climatic changes on parasites and pathogens has been demarcated with rising incidences of diseases.In response to environmental changes,mainly external and internal microenvironment of body and drug regimens taken by patients;virus is regularly changing its form and new mutant variants are coming out.These are circulating in many Indian states and cross border countries and causing high infectivity and mortality in human patients.These variants with new mutations are challenging existing drugs and other prophylactic measures and massively disrupting functions of a tissue,organ,or entire organism.Diseases caused by viruses are showing new trends in virulence,with high infectivity,morbidity and mortality.Due to climatic effect and drug resistance and new mutations in pathogens disease burden has been exacerbated enormously at global level.In all cases of helminthes,protozoan’s,fungi,bacteria,virus pathogens and parasites available drug structure seem to be failed or their usefulness has been much reduced due to evolution of new mutant variants with multiple drug resistance.There are serious failures at the level of operation,management and control of disease.The utmost failure is due to lack of appropriate vaccine,drug regimens,clinical care and awareness among people.These are major reasons that is why diseases become uncontrolled and unmanageable.

Neurogenesis dynamics in the olfactory bulb:deciphering circuitry organization, function, and adaptive plasticity

Adult neurogenesis persists after birth in the subventricular zone, with new neurons migrating to the granule cell layer and glomerular layers of the olfactory bulb, where they integrate into existing circuitry as inhibitory interneurons. The generation of these new neurons in the olfactory bulb supports both structural and functional plasticity, aiding in circuit remodeling triggered by memory and learning processes. However, the presence of these neurons, coupled with the cellular diversity within the olfactory bulb, presents an ongoing challenge in understanding its network organization and function. Moreover,the continuous integration of new neurons in the olfactory bulb plays a pivotal role in regulating olfactory information processing. This adaptive process responds to changes in epithelial composition and contributes to the formation of olfactory memories by modulating cellular connectivity within the olfactory bulb and interacting intricately with higher-order brain regions. The role of adult neurogenesis in olfactory bulb functions remains a topic of debate. Nevertheless, the functionality of the olfactory bulb is intricately linked to the organization of granule cells around mitral and tufted cells. This organizational pattern significantly impacts output, network behavior, and synaptic plasticity, which are crucial for olfactory perception and memory. Additionally, this organization is further shaped by axon terminals originating from cortical and subcortical regions. Despite the crucial role of olfactory bulb in brain functions and behaviors related to olfaction, these complex and highly interconnected processes have not been comprehensively studied as a whole. Therefore, this manuscript aims to discuss our current understanding and explore how neural plasticity and olfactory neurogenesis contribute to enhancing the adaptability of the olfactory system. These mechanisms are thought to support olfactory learning and memory, potentially through increased complexity and restructuring of neural network structures, as well as the addition of new granule granule cells that aid in olfactory adaptation. Additionally, the manuscript underscores the importance of employing precise methodologies to elucidate the specific roles of adult neurogenesis amidst conflicting data and varying experimental paradigms. Understanding these processes is essential for gaining insights into the complexities of olfactory function and behavior.

Inhibitory gamma-aminobutyric acidergic neurons in the anterior cingulate cortex participate in the comorbidity of pain and emotion

Pain is often comorbid with emotional disorders such as anxiety and depression.Hyperexcitability of the anterior cingulate cortex has been implicated in pain and pain-related negative emotions that arise from impairments in inhibitory gamma-aminobutyric acid neurotransmission.This review primarily aims to outline the main circuitry(including the input and output connectivity)of the anterior cingulate cortex and classification and functions of different gamma-aminobutyric acidergic neurons;it also describes the neurotransmitters/neuromodulators affecting these neurons,their intercommunication with other neurons,and their importance in mental comorbidities associated with chronic pain disorders.Improving understanding on their role in pain-related mental comorbidities may facilitate the development of more effective treatments for these conditions.However,the mechanisms that regulate gamma-aminobutyric acidergic systems remain elusive.It is also unclear as to whether the mechanisms are presynaptic or postsynaptic.Further exploration of the complexities of this system may reveal new pathways for research and drug development.

Exosomes originating from neural stem cells undergoing necroptosis participate in cellular communication by inducing TSC2 upregulation of recipient cells following spinal cord injury

We previously demonstrated that inhibiting neural stem cells necroptosis enhances functional recovery after spinal cord injury.While exosomes are recognized as playing a pivotal role in neural stem cells exocrine function,their precise function in spinal cord injury remains unclear.To investigate the role of exosomes generated following neural stem cells necroptosis after spinal cord injury,we conducted singlecell RNA sequencing and validated that neural stem cells originate from ependymal cells and undergo necroptosis in response to spinal cord injury.Subsequently,we established an in vitro necroptosis model using neural stem cells isolated from embryonic mice aged 16-17 days and extracted exosomes.The results showed that necroptosis did not significantly impact the fundamental characteristics or number of exosomes.Transcriptome sequencing of exosomes in necroptosis group identified 108 differentially expressed messenger RNAs,104 long non-coding RNAs,720 circular RNAs,and 14 microRNAs compared with the control group.Construction of a competing endogenous RNA network identified the following hub genes:tuberous sclerosis 2(Tsc2),solute carrier family 16 member 3(Slc16a3),and forkhead box protein P1(Foxp1).Notably,a significant elevation in TSC2 expression was observed in spinal cord tissues following spinal cord injury.TSC2-positive cells were localized around SRY-box transcription factor 2-positive cells within the injury zone.Furthermore,in vitro analysis revealed increased TSC2 expression in exosomal receptor cells compared with other cells.Further assessment of cellular communication following spinal cord injury showed that Tsc2 was involved in ependymal cellular communication at 1 and 3 days post-injury through the epidermal growth factor and midkine signaling pathways.In addition,Slc16a3 participated in cellular communication in ependymal cells at 7 days post-injury via the vascular endothelial growth factor and macrophage migration inhibitory factor signaling pathways.Collectively,these findings confirm that exosomes derived from neural stem cells undergoing necroptosis play an important role in cellular communication after spinal cord injury and induce TSC2 upregulation in recipient cells.

Modeling and Comprehensive Review of Signaling Storms in 3GPP-Based Mobile Broadband Networks:Causes,Solutions,and Countermeasures

Control signaling is mandatory for the operation and management of all types of communication networks,including the Third Generation Partnership Project(3GPP)mobile broadband networks.However,they consume important and scarce network resources such as bandwidth and processing power.There have been several reports of these control signaling turning into signaling storms halting network operations and causing the respective Telecom companies big financial losses.This paper draws its motivation from such real network disaster incidents attributed to signaling storms.In this paper,we present a thorough survey of the causes,of the signaling storm problems in 3GPP-based mobile broadband networks and discuss in detail their possible solutions and countermeasures.We provide relevant analytical models to help quantify the effect of the potential causes and benefits of their corresponding solutions.Another important contribution of this paper is the comparison of the possible causes and solutions/countermeasures,concerning their effect on several important network aspects such as architecture,additional signaling,fidelity,etc.,in the form of a table.This paper presents an update and an extension of our earlier conference publication.To our knowledge,no similar survey study exists on the subject.

Visualizing medicine:The case for implementing graphical abstracts in clinical reporting

Graphical abstracts(GAs)are emerging as a pivotal tool in medical literature,enhancing the dissemination and comprehension of complex clinical data through visual summaries.This editorial highlights the significant advantages of GAs,including improved clarity,increased reader engagement,and enhanced visibility of research findings.By transforming intricate scientific data into accessible visual formats,these abstracts facilitate quick and effective knowledge transfer,crucial in clinical decision-making and patient care.However,challenges such as potential data misrepresentation due to oversimplification,the skill gap in graphic design among researchers,and the lack of standardized creation guidelines pose barriers to their widespread adoption.Additionally,while software such as Adobe Illustrator,BioRender,and Canva are commonly employed to create these visuals,not all researchers may be proficient in their use.To address these issues,we recommend that academic journals establish clear guidelines and provide necessary design training to researchers.This proactive approach will ensure the creation of high-quality GAs,promote their standardization,and expand their use in clinical reporting,ultimately benefiting the medical community and improving healthcare outcomes.

桥接未来--LCCF库函数的应用

本文探讨了Siemens的LCCF库函数在工业自动化项目中的应用,LCCF库提供了一种软件层面的解决方案,通过库函数替代传统硬件协议网关,实现不同通信协议间的数据交换。介绍了Siemens库函数的分类与功能,阐述了LCCF库的主要组件及其在协议转换中的优势,包括简化配置流程、增强系统兼容性、降低技术门槛等。通过具体的应用实例,展示了LCCF库在SIMATIC控制器与Rockwell及Mitsubishi控制器之间通信的实现方法。此外,文章还对LCom与LCCF两个Siemens通信库进行了比较分析,指出了它们的共同点与不同点。

Call for Papers——Feature Topic Vol.22,No.3,2025 Special Issue of China Communications:Convergence of 6G empowered Edge Intelligence and Generative AI:Theories,Algorithms,and Applications293

Generative artificial intelligence(AI),as an emerging paradigm in content generation,has demonstrated its great potentials in creating high-fidelity data including images,texts,and videos.Nowadays wireless networks and applications have been rapidly evolving from achieving“connected things”to embracing“connected intelligence”.

Magnetic Induction Communication in Extreme Environments:Principles,Technologies,and Challenges

Wireless communications in extreme environments,such as underwater and underground,is an essential technology for interconnecting various devices and enables data transmission and networking.Existing wireless technologies using electromagnetic(EM)waves face many known problems,such as high path loss,unpredictable multi-path fading,and large antenna size in the lossy medium.In this article,the magnetic induction(MI)based physical layer communication is introduced as a promising solution for wireless transmissions in extreme environments.Specifically,the fundamentals of the MI-based communications are reviewed.Then,with the goal of establishing reliable and low-power links between small-size devices,we review several key physical layer technologies for MI-based communications,including the MIbased signal modulations,magnetic beamforming,and relay transmissions,and summarize their state-of-theart research advances.Finally,the related open issues and challenges in each area are analyzed and presented for future investigations.

Multi-protocol relay chaining for large-scale quantum key distribution networks

As the first stage of the quantum Internet,quantum key distribution(QKD)networks hold the promise of providing long-term security for diverse users.Most existing QKD networks have been constructed based on independent QKD protocols,and they commonly rely on the deployment of single-protocol trusted relay chains for long reach.Driven by the evolution of QKD protocols,large-scale QKD networking is expected to migrate from a single-protocol to a multi-protocol paradigm,during which some useful evolutionary elements for the later stages of the quantum Internet may be incorporated.In this work,we delve into a pivotal technique for large-scale QKD networking,namely,multi-protocol relay chaining.A multi-protocol relay chain is established by connecting a set of trusted/untrusted relays relying on multiple QKD protocols between a pair of QKD nodes.The structures of diverse multi-protocol relay chains are described,based on which the associated model is formulated and the policies are defined for the deployment of multi-protocol relay chains.Furthermore,we propose three multi-protocol relay chaining heuristics.Numerical simulations indicate that the designed heuristics can effectively reduce the number of trusted relays deployed and enhance the average security level versus the commonly used single-protocol trusted relay chaining methods on backbone network topologies.

Text-and-Timbre-Based Speech Semantic Coding for Ultra-Low-Bitrate Communications

To address the contradiction between the explosive growth of wireless data and the limited spectrum resources,semantic communication has been emerging as a promising communication paradigm.In this paper,we thus design a speech semantic coded communication system,referred to as Deep-STS(i.e.,Deep-learning based Speech To Speech),for the lowbandwidth speech communication.Specifically,we first deeply compress the speech data through extracting the textual information from the speech based on the conformer encoder and connectionist temporal classification decoder at the transmitter side of Deep-STS system.In order to facilitate the final speech timbre recovery,we also extract the short-term timbre feature of speech signals only for the starting 2s duration by the long short-term memory network.Then,the Reed-Solomon coding and hybrid automatic repeat request protocol are applied to improve the reliability of transmitting the extracted text and timbre feature over the wireless channel.Third,we reconstruct the speech signal by the mel spectrogram prediction network and vocoder,when the extracted text is received along with the timbre feature at the receiver of Deep-STS system.Finally,we develop the demo system based on the USRP and GNU radio for the performance evaluation of Deep-STS.Numerical results show that the ac-Received:Jan.17,2024 Revised:Jun.12,2024 Editor:Niu Kai curacy of text extraction approaches 95%,and the mel cepstral distortion between the recovered speech signal and the original one in the spectrum domain is less than 10.Furthermore,the experimental results show that the proposed Deep-STS system can reduce the total delay of speech communication by 85%on average compared to the G.723 coding at the transmission rate of 5.4 kbps.More importantly,the coding rate of the proposed Deep-STS system is extremely low,only 0.2 kbps for continuous speech communication.It is worth noting that the Deep-STS with lower coding rate can support the low-zero-power speech communication,unveiling a new era in ultra-efficient coded communications.

Established conversions for hybrid entangled states assisted by error-predicted parity-discriminated devices

Hybrid entangled states are crucial in quantum physics,offering significant benefits for hybrid quantum communication and quantum computation,and then the conversion of hybrid entangled states is equally critical.This paper presents two novel schemes,that is,one converts the two-qubit hybrid Knill–Laflamme–Milburn(KLM)entangled state into Bell states and the other one transforms the three-qubit hybrid KLM state into Greenberger–Horne–Zeilinger(GHZ)states assisted by error-predicted and parity-discriminated devices.Importantly,the integration of single photon detectors into the parity-discriminated device enhances predictive capabilities,mitigates potential failures,and facilitates seamless interaction between the nitrogen-vacancy center and photons,so the two protocols operate in an error-predicted way,improving the experimental feasibility.Additionally,our schemes demonstrate robust fidelities(close to 1)and efficiencies,indicating their feasibility with existing technology.

Reflections on the Inflection Point in Network Development

The development of communication networks is currently undergoing a period of transformation.This paper illustrates this transformation from the growth rate of communication users,network bandwidth,and service revenue.We also analyze the shift in the focus of network technology development from aspects such as information sources,mobile terminals,wireless channels,core networks,edge clouds,data perception,and artificial intelligence.Finally,we briefly outline the new paradigm for network research and development(R&D)in the intelligent era.

Topology Data Analysis-Based Error Detection for Semantic Image Transmission with Incremental Knowledge-Based HARQ

Semantic communication(SemCom)aims to achieve high-fidelity information delivery under low communication consumption by only guaranteeing semantic accuracy.Nevertheless,semantic communication still suffers from unexpected channel volatility and thus developing a re-transmission mechanism(e.g.,hybrid automatic repeat request[HARQ])becomes indispensable.In that regard,instead of discarding previously transmitted information,the incremental knowledge-based HARQ(IK-HARQ)is deemed as a more effective mechanism that could sufficiently utilize the information semantics.However,considering the possible existence of semantic ambiguity in image transmission,a simple bit-level cyclic redundancy check(CRC)might compromise the performance of IK-HARQ.Therefore,there emerges a strong incentive to revolutionize the CRC mechanism,thus more effectively reaping the benefits of both SemCom and HARQ.In this paper,built on top of swin transformer-based joint source-channel coding(JSCC)and IK-HARQ,we propose a semantic image transmission framework SC-TDA-HARQ.In particular,different from the conventional CRC,we introduce a topological data analysis(TDA)-based error detection method,which capably digs out the inner topological and geometric information of images,to capture semantic information and determine the necessity for re-transmission.Extensive numerical results validate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed SC-TDA-HARQ framework,especially under the limited bandwidth condition,and manifest the superiority of TDA-based error detection method in image transmission.